Posts tagged “insecticide”

Posted on August 12th, 2016

Mosquitoes cause more human suffering than any other organism — over one million people worldwide die yearly from mosquito-borne diseases such as Chikungunya, West Nile, Dengue, Yellow Fever, and Zika[1. “Mosquito-Borne Diseases“. American Mosquito Control Association.]. Controlling the population of these mosquitoes is critical to controlling the spread of the viruses they transmit. Unfortunately, popular control methods have not stopped the spread of these mosquitoes. Insecticides and larvicides accumulate in the environment, always kill more than the intended species, and may be toxic to humans. In addition, there is evidence that mosquitoes are becoming resistant to the insecticides![2. See the many papers at Google Scholar.] Mosquito traps using carbon dioxide or pheromones as a lure are expensive to purchase and operate. And biological control…

Posted on August 12th, 2016

Note: This text would was used in a patent application filed in early April, 2016, but the Patent and Trademark Office has let us down. Lobbyists and Congress weakened patent protections with the America Invents Act, and patent trolls from big business simply litigate with individual inventors until they get what they want[1. Eden, Scott. “The Greatest American Invention”. Popular Mechanics, July/August 2016 p. 93-99]. At this writing, the PTO averages 16.1 months before it takes the first action on a patent application, and 25.7 months to process the average application. Over 500,000 patent applications are now awaiting examination[2. Patents Data at a Glance. USPTO.]. Abstract The present invention lures male mosquitoes of a target species with a sound generator that mimics the sound of…

Posted on June 25th, 2012

On February 21, 2012, the SCOTTS MIRACLE-GRO COMPANY pleaded guilty in Ohio to eleven FIFRA violations. Scotts admitted to illegally applying an insecticide to its wild bird food products that is toxic to birds, falsifying pesticide registration documents, distributing pesticides with misleading and unapproved labels, and distributing unregistered pesticides, all in violation of FIFRA. Scotts also admitted that in an effort to protect its bird food from insect infestation, the company applied to its line of wild bird foods the pesticides Storcide II and Actellic 5E, neither of which were approved by EPA for use in bird foods, the former bearing the warning, Storcide II is extremely toxic to fish and toxic to birds and other wildlife. Scotts continued to sell the products for six months after employees warned management of the dangers…

Posted on April 13th, 2012

Lawns have become part of our world, and surround every house in our suburbs. Even apartment buildings in the city may have a few square feet of lawn in front. Some think our love of lawns might be traceable to our descent from early humans, who learned to walk upright in the savannah plains of Africa. Standing upright was a convenient means of seeing over the grasses, and spotting approaching predators. It also allowed for tracking prey. Having a lawn makes great sense if you are expecting raids from the neighbors – as early man had to expect. But today, when neighborhood raiders are soon locked up, grassy yards seem to be vestigial, like an appendix: serving no purpose, providing no benefit. Of course,…